About one in 10 people in Johnson County, Iowa, has a disability
In Johnson County, 9.9% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Johnson County's score
In Johnson County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 61.2. Jobs are the lowest part, at 8.3. Unemployment averaged 2.7%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Johnson County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Johnson County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (30.1%, 2020 to 2024) and people below the poverty line (17.7%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 61.2 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent30.1% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.4% · fiscal year 202725th percentile
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- 28.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.7% · 202478th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.5% · 202420th percentile
- People with a disability9.9% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- People without health insurance4.7% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$77,124 · 202425th percentile
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- 16.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.9% · August 202514th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people68.6 · 202518th percentile
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- 11.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.6% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202522nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.0% · second quarter of 20264th percentile
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- 8.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20266th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.6% · 2020 to 202410th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Johnson County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Johnson County, 13.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Johnson County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Johnson County rose most in two steps: 7.8% in 2004 to 10.4% in 2009; 11.9% in 2019 to 14.5% in 2024.
In Johnson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 14.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Johnson County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Johnson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.1% in 2012 to 8.2% in 2013.
The share of households in Johnson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 5.0% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Johnson County, Iowa.
How Johnson County has changed
Johnson County's population had its largest rise, from 129,864 in 2009 to 142,595 in 2014.
Johnson County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 160,080, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 81,406. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Johnson County, Iowa.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Johnson County nearly doubled to 85,623, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 64,749. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Johnson County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.2% | 2025 2.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.6% | 2024 17.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,338 | 2024 $77,124 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Johnson County's history
1837
December 21, 1837 (created) July 4, 1838 (organized). Wikipedia
1997
Hail in May 1997 did $40 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in June 1998 did $30.7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Old Capitol cupola fire and damage in November 2001. Wikipedia
2006
A tornado in April 2006 did $12 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in June 2008 did $230 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 152,854, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Johnson County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Johnson County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Johnson County, three score higher. Of the group, Johnson County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Louisa County gets the largest, at 24.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muscatine County, IA | 31 | 13.3% | 22.7% |
| Louisa County, IA | 15 | 9.5% | 24.2% |
| Linn County, IA | 15 | 9.6% | 19.1% |
| Johnson County, IA | 10 | 17.7% | 14.5% |
| Cedar County, IA | 5 | 7.9% | 18.1% |
| Washington County, IA | 4 | 9.0% | 16.2% |
| Iowa County, IA | 4 | 7.1% | 21.1% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Johnson County the poorest county in Iowa?
No, Johnson County's poverty rate was 17.7% in 2024, 2nd highest of 99 in Iowa (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Decatur County, at 18.1%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Johnson County ranks 56th of 99 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Johnson County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Iowa Legal Aid
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Johnson County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Johnson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.